Canadian Teacher Suspended For Letters To The Editor

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld the suspension of schoolteacher and counsellor, Chris Kempling because of his "conduct unbecoming of a teacher." The case began in 2002 after Kempling, on his own time, wrote letters to the local Quesnell newspaper, which the B.C. College of Teachers deemed to be discriminatory against gays and lesbians. He has been handed a three-month suspension. He is also serving a suspension for a letter objecting to Bill C-38, the Canadian government's same-sex marriage bill, which has been before parliament. Kempling has stated that he has applied to return to the school district in September, but in a different capacity. In a press release following the court decision on June 13, Janet Epp Buckingham, director of law and public policy for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, said, "The court says, in effect, that teachers must stay silent on controversial subjects or risk disciplinary action by their professional association." Pray for Christians in various places of influence throughout Canada who are facing the possibility of disciplinary action for speaking out on issues such as gay marriage. Pray also for the Canadian parliament as the governing Liberal Party has declared Bill C-38 a matter of national interest and has extended the sitting of parliament until it was passed. (From Voice of the Martyrs)